The present invention relates generally to an improved cap structure, and more particularly to an improved multi-size cap of the baseball cap configuration, and with one size being adapted to accommodate wearers with a variety of sizes of heads. The multi-size cap structure of the present invention is further provided with ear flaps which fold inwardly and upwardly of the crown portion of the cap when not in use, and with the arrangement providing for minimal overlapping of layers so as to enhance the comfort of the cap and avoid a tight-fitting structure with the ear flaps folded up, and further avoiding a loose-fitting cap when the ear flaps are folded downwardly to envelope the ears of the wearer. The structure of the present invention permits multi-size cap structures to be fabricated which are comfortable for the wearer, and with a single size of cap being adaptable for use by all persons with heads of normal size.
In the past, attempts have been made to provide multi-size cap structures of the baseball cap style, and such caps are in wide-spread use today. More recently, attempts have been made to provide caps of the baseball cap type or style, wherein ear flaps are provided to provide an added degree of comfort to the wearer during unseasonable weather, including cold weather with precipitation in the form of either rain or snow.
Multi-size caps of the baseball cap style are marketed in a variety of ways. These caps are marketed through conventional retail outlets, and have also found a substantial market as a promotional item. Various types of business entities will provide such promotional items to employees and/or customers, and in these instances, the outer surface of the crown at a point above the visor may carry an emblem, or other indicia identifying the business entity. Because of the manner in which these products are marketed, it is, of course, desirable to utilize the products with minimal size variation requirements, hence the multi-size caps become extremely desirable for the customer.
As is conventional, baseball caps employ a crown portion to which a visor is secured to the forward edge of the crown and extends outwardly therefrom. An elongated band forming an ear flap portion is hingedly secured to the base of the crown and is adapted to be upwardly and inwardly folded in one disposition, and is also adapted to be downwardly folded about the ears of the wearer in its ear-enveloping disposition. Hinge means secure the elongated ear flap portion to the crown portion along both of the lateral as well as the rear segments of the crown portion.
In order to provide gores to form the crown portion which are biaxially stretchable, a laminated cloth-foam resin structure is normally employed. Such laminated foam structures typically have a synthetic resin foam interposed or sandwiched between outer cloth or fabric layers. The weave of the fabric layers is such that the cloth is biaxially stretchable. Such a material is utilized in the multi-size cap structures of the present invention, and thereby assist in achieving an accommodation of wearers with heads of various sizes. For purposes of achieving substantially universal utilization with a single size cap structure, the material forming the crown portion is selected so that it is capable of a 20 percent stretch in each axial direction. Such materials are, of course, commercially available. For those instances when more than one size cap structure will be employed to accommodate all wearers, a biaxial stretch of up to about 10 percent is normally found to be satisfactory.
As indicated, the forward portion of the cap will normally be provided with a visor or bill, with the visor normally being positioned above the eyes and forehead of the wearer. Since the visor material is normally non-stretchable or non-elastic, means must be provided to achieve sufficient stretch or elasticity in the remaining edges of the crown portion of the cap. These remaining portions are, as above indicated, the lateral side portions and the rear portion. Even considering the requirement of the presence of the visor or bill, along with the constraint on the number of sizes to be stocked so as to accommodate wearers with heads of normal sizes, the cap structure of the present invention has been found to accommodate these desirable features and provide a means for manufacturing a cap for unseasonable or winter weather wherein a single cap structure capable of multi-size accommodation may be employed.
When an individual wears a multi-size cap, particularly one with inwardly and upwardly folded ear flaps, caps of conventional design are somewhat uncomfortable to wear. Specifically, when the layers are superimposed, one upon the other, most of the stress created in the stretch or expansion of the cap structure occurs at or along a line which is adjacent the lower edge of the crown. Such a condition creates a degree of discomfort to the wearer, since the tension created within the fabric is concentrated along a line around the user's skull. This discomfort is alleviated with the design of the present structure, since the ear flaps are hingedly secured with an elastic hinge member to the base of the crown, and the design is such that the ear flap portion overlaps no more than one layer of hinge when the ear flap portion is in its inwardly folded position. Also, when the ear flap is extended downwardly so as to cover the ears of the wearer, the elastic hinge member permits relative movement between the crown portion and the ear flap portion, thereby achieving an added degree of comfort.